I was a relatively normal person before I started running, but now, I accost my friends with topics like my VO2 max and “Jeffing”.

I can’t help it. Every runner I know wants to run a little faster and a little longer than their current PB.

So, we thought we’d share some science-backed ways to boost your pace:

The Swedish “speed play” method is a kind of interval training. It involves running at a slower pace for a set period, then sprinting for another preset interval.

There are no set rules as to what those intervals are.

“Fartlek and other types of tempo runs are a great way of getting your body used to small and frequent changes in pace, whether that be during hilly terrain or because you’re struggling during a particular section of the race,” Nuffield Health’s personal training lead, Nuffield Health, previously said.

One paper found that six sessions of sprint interval training improved the pace of seasoned athletes.

This doesn’t strictly have to be Fartlek training; it can be something like “Jeffing”, or the “run-walk-run” method, too.

According to Angela Ruskin University, “elite runners spend around 80% of their time training at what’s termed zone 2 running – a running pace which raises your heart rate, but is still slow enough that you can hold a conversation”.

Only about 20% of the time is spent at race pace, they added.

Zone 2 training happens below the lactate threshold, which means your muscles don’t get as tired after long distances.

That means you can build up a better aerobic base, which can really help you run faster for longer.

One paper, which looked at 119,452 marathon runners in the 16 weeks preceding their races, found that “The fastest runners in this dataset featured large training volumes”.

In other words, the more kilometres under your belt, the faster you’ll probably run.

And among the fastest runners, a “pyramidal” running programme was more common.

That is another form of interval training which sees you ramp up from shorter, faster intervals to longer, slower parts, and then returning to smaller, speedier runs again at the end.

A meta-analysis of 31 studies found that “strength training with high loads, plyometric training, and a combination of strength training methods may improve running economy in middle- and long-distance runners”.

And the better your running economy, the faster and longer you’ll be able to go.

But in this research, high-load strength training – working with heavy weights – might be especially helpful for those with a high VO2 max and faster running speeds.

Plyometrics, or exercises which lengthen, then rapidly shorten, your muscles, have been linked to improved explosive power.

One paper found that three plyometric sessions a week can reduce the “cost of running” (or energy used running) in athletes by about 6%. And another found that it increases stride length, too; both of which can improve your pace.